This is the presentation I am giving today (6.19.2014) at Ft. Huachuca (home of U.S. Army Intelligence Center) on male survivors of sexual abuse (including military rape).

1. Male Survivors of Sexual Assault
Presented at Fort Huachuca
June 19, 2014
William Harryman, MSC, NCC, MS

2. Introductions
• William Harryman, MSC, NCC, MS –
Sexual trauma therapist for the Southern
Arizona Center Against Sexual Assault
(SACASA)
• Other work:
▫ Coaching: Fitness and Nutrition (fitness and
performance training)
▫ Coaching: Men’s Issues and Masculinity
(relationships, work, self-compassion, and the
changing landscape of what it means to be a man)

3. Who We Are & What We Do
• Southern Arizona
Center Against
Sexual Assault
• Our clients:
▫ Anyone who has survived
a sexual trauma:
 Incest, molestation, sexual
assault, sexual harassment,
rape, stalking, and anything
else that might be
considered sexual trauma
 Ages 12 and up
 Female and male
• 24/7/365 Crisis Line:
▫ 520-327-1721
▫ 800-400-1001
▫ TTY/DD/SMS: 520-327-1721;
▫ After Hours, 235-3358
• Walk-in clients in crisis are
seen between 8 am & noon ,
and between 1 pm & 5 pm
• No fee for services
▫ Your insurance will
never know

4. Terminology and National Trends

5. What Are the Terms?
• Sexual Assault: a spectrum of sexual violence that
includes any sexual contact or activity without consent.
• Coercion: any form of pressure employed to overcome
one’s ability to freely give one’s consent
• Sexual Harassment: any unwanted attention or
advances regarding sexual gratification, favors, or other
verbal or physical conduct of sexual nature
• Rape: any penetration (vaginal, anal, oral) with
anything (penis, fingers, objects) done without consent
• Military Sexual Trauma: the term that the
Department of Veterans Affairs uses to refer to sexual
assault or repeated, threatening sexual harassment that
occurred while the Veteran was in the military

6. What Is Consent?
• Consent: a clearly and freely given word or
overt action confirming a willing desire towards
and limited to a specific sexual request or
experience.
• Consent cannot be provided by minors or
any individual who is mentally impaired,
including impairment by intoxication
through drugs or alcohol, or through
coercion.
• Consent is an affirmative response
• It is NOT a lack of response

7. 1.3 Forcible Rapes per Minute
• 683,000 forcible rapes per year; 56,916 per month;
1,871 per day; 78 per hour; 1.3 per minute

8. National Statistics on Sexual Assault
Via RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network)

9. More Sexual Assault Stats
Via RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network)

10. 97.5% of
military
rapists
also are
NOT
punished

11. Who Are the Victims?
This is one version of the story:
• Women:
▫ 1 out of every 6 American women has been the victim of an
attempted or completed rape in her lifetime (14.8% completed rape;
2.8% attempted rape).1
▫ 17.7 million American women have been victims of attempted or
completed rape.1
▫ 9 of every 10 rape victims were female in 2003.2
• Men:
▫ About 3% of American men — or 1 in 33 — have experienced
an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime.1
▫ In 2003, 1 in every ten rape victims were male.2
▫ 2.78 million men in the U.S. have been victims of sexual assault
or rape.1
1. National Institute of Justice & Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. Prevalence, Incidence and
Consequences of Violence Against Women Survey. 1998.
2. U.S. Department of Justice. 2003 National Crime Victimization Survey. 2003.

12. Age of Victims
• 15% of sexual assault & rape victims are under age 12.3
▫ 29% are age 12-17.
▫ 44% are under age 18.3
▫ 80% are under age 30.3
▫ 12-34 are the highest risk years.
▫ Girls ages 16-19 are 4 times more likely than the general population to be
victims of rape, attempted rape, or sexual assault.
• 7% of girls in grades 5-8 and 12% of girls in grades 9-12
said they had been sexually abused.4
▫ 3% of boys grades 5-8 and 5% of boys in grades 9-12 said they had been
sexually abused.
• In 1995, local child protection service agencies identified
126,000 children who were victims of either substantiated or
indicated sexual abuse.5
▫ Of these, 75% were girls.
▫ Nearly 30% of child victims were between the age of 4 and 7.
3. U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, Sex Offenses and Offenders. 1997.
4. 1998 Commonwealth Fund Survey of the Health of Adolescent Girls. 1998.
5. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Administration for Children and Families. 1995 Child
Maltreatment Survey. 1995.

13. 1 in 6 Men Are Abused Before Age 18 – The True Story

14. 1 in 6 Men – The Real Story
• A 2005 study conducted by the
U.S. Centers for Disease Control,
on San Diego Kaiser Permanente
HMO members, reported that
16% of males were sexually
abused by the age of 18. 1
• A 2003 national study of U.S.
adults reported that 14.2% of
men were sexually abused
before the age of 18.2
• A 1996 study of male university
students in the Boston area
reported that 18% of men were
sexually abused before the
age of 16.4
• A 1990 national study of U.S.
adults reported that 16% of men
were sexually abused before
the age of 18. 5

15. 2 in 5 Men Are Victims of Sexual Violence
• National Crime
Victimization
Survey11
:
▫ In asking 40,000
households about
rape and sexual
violence, the survey
uncovered that 38
percent of
incidents were
against men.
• Screenwriter and novelist Rafael
Yglesias (Fearless, From Hell, Dark
Water):
• “I used to say, when some part of me
was still ashamed of what had been
done to me, that I was “molested”
because the man who played skillfully with my
8-year-old penis, who put it in his mouth, who
put his lips on mine and tried to push his
tongue in as deep as it would go, did not
anally rape me. … I chose “molestation”
hoping that would convey what had happened
to me.”
• “Of course it doesn’t. For listeners to
appreciate and understand what I had
endured, I needed to risk that they will
gag or rush out of the room. I needed to
be particular and clear as to the details so
that when I say I was raped people will
understand what I truly mean.”

16. Why the Number Is Underestimated
• Males who are raped
or abused are far less
likely to disclose them
than are females.6
• Only 16% of men
with documented
histories of sexual
abuse (by social
service agencies,
which means they
were very serious)
considered
themselves to have
been sexually
abused.7

17. Survivors of Sexual Assault Are…
• 3 times more likely
to suffer from
depression
• 6 times more likely
to suffer from post-
traumatic stress
disorder
• 13 times more likely
to abuse alcohol
• 26 times more likely
to abuse drugs
• 4 times more likely
to contemplate
suicide
World Health Organization. 2002. On the
RAINN website: http://www.rainn.org/get-
information/statistics/sexual-assault-victims

18. Male Survivors Experience…
• Symptoms of post-
traumatic stress
disorder (PTSD) and
depression. 1,2,8
• Alcoholism and drug
abuse. 1,9
• Suicidal thoughts
and suicide attempts. 1,9
• Problems in
intimate
relationships. 1,10
• Underachievement
at school and at work. 1,10

19. For Men, Rape Leads to PTSD 2x as Often
as Combat Exposure
• For men, rape is the traumatic event most likely to
cause PTSD
• Approximately 65% of men who said rape was
the most upsetting traumatic event
developed PTSD
• Other traumatic events likely to lead to PTSD:
▫ combat (38.8%)
▫ childhood neglect (23.9%)
▫ childhood physical abuse (22.3%)
▫ being sexually molested as a child (12.2%)

20. References for this Section
1. Dube, S.R., Anda, R.F., Whitfield, C.L., et al. (2005). Long-term consequences of childhood sexual abuse by gender
of victim. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 28, 430-438.
2. Briere, J. & Elliot, D.M. (2003). Prevalence and psychological sequelae of self-reported childhood physical and
sexual abuse in a general population sample of men and women. Child Abuse & Neglect, 27, 1205-1222.
4. Lisak, D., Hopper, J. & Song, P. (1996). Factors in the cycle of violence: Gender rigidity and emotional constriction.
Journal of Traumatic Stress, 9, 721-743.
5. Finkelhor, D., Hotaling, G., Lewis, I. A., & Smith, C. (1990). Sexual abuse in a national survey of adult men and
women: Prevalence, characteristics, and risk factors. Child Abuse & Neglect, 14, 19-28.
6. Holmes, G.R., Offen, L., & Waller, G. (1997). See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil: Why do relatively few male
victims of childhood sexual abuse receive help for abuse-related issues in adulthood? Clinical Psychology Review, 17,
69-88.
7. Widom, C.S. & Morris, S. (1997). Accuracy of adult recollections of childhood victimization part 2. Childhood sexual
abuse. Psychological Assessment, 9, 34-46.
8. Widom (1999). Posttraumatic stress disorder in abused and neglected children grown up. American Journal of
Psychiatry, 156, 1223-1229.
9. Felitti, V.J., Anda, R.F., Nordenberg, D., Williamson, D.F., Spitz, A.M., et al. (1998). Relationship of childhood
abuse and household dysfunction to many of the leading causes of death in adults. American Journal of Preventive
Medicine, 14, 245-258.
10. Lisak, D. & Luster, L. (1994). Educational, occupational and relationship histories of men who were sexually
and/or physically abused as children. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 7, 507-523.
11. Bureau of Justice Statistics: Data Collection: National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS). Intimate Partner
Violence: Attributes of Victimization, 1993–2011. November, 2013.

21. Seven Primary Myths about Sexual Assault and Male Survivors

22. 7 Male Sexual Victimization Myths & Facts
• Myth #1 - Boys and men can't be victims.
• Myth #2 - Most sexual abuse of boys is perpetrated by
homosexual males.
• Myth #3 - If a boy experiences sexual arousal or orgasm from
abuse, this means he was a willing participant or enjoyed it.
• Myth #4 - Boys are less traumatized by the abuse experience
than girls.
• Myth #5 - Boys abused by males are or will become
homosexual.
• Myth #6 - The “Vampire Syndrome” that is, boys who are
sexually abused, like the victims of Count Dracula, go on to
"bite" or sexually abuse others.
• Myth #7 - If the perpetrator is female, the boy or adolescent
should consider himself fortunate to have been initiated into
heterosexual activity.
• http://www.malesurvivor.org/myths.html

23. These Myths Apply to Men, as Well

24. Myth #1 - Boys and Men Can't Be Victims
• This myth is part of masculine gender
socialization, sometimes referred to as the macho
image:
▫ Males, even young boys, are not supposed to be
victims or even be vulnerable
▫ Males should be able to protect themselves at all times
• Reality:
▫ Boys are children - weaker and more vulnerable
than perpetrators – they cannot really fight back
▫ Perpetrator has greater size, strength, and
knowledge
▫ Perpetrator exercises power from a position of
authority, using money, candy, or other bribes – or
outright threats – whatever it takes to use a child for
sexual purposes.

25. Myth #2 - Most Sexual Abuse of Boys
Is Perpetrated by Homosexual Males
• Pedophiles who molest boys are
not expressing
homosexuality any more than
pedophiles who molest girls are
expressing heterosexuality
• Most child molesters have
gender and/or age preferences
• Those who seek out boys
are overwhelmingly NOT
homosexual
• They are pedophiles

26. Myth #3 - If a Boy Is Sexually Aroused or Orgasms
from Abuse, He Was Willing or Enjoyed It
• Males (and females) often respond to stimulation
(get an erection) even in traumatic or painful sexual
situations – it’s normal
• Sexual offenders know that one way to maintain
secrecy is tell a child that his sexual response is an
indication of his willingness to participate
▫ "You liked it, you wanted it," they'll say.
• Many survivors feel guilt and shame because they
experienced physical arousal while being abused
• BUT, it does not mean that the child wanted
the experience or understood what it meant at the
time

27. Myth #4 - Boys Are Less Traumatized
by the Abuse Experience than Girls
• Studies show that long term
effects are quite damaging for
either sex
• Males may be more
damaged by society's refusal to
accept their victimization
• Males believe that they must
"tough it out" in silence
• Male Survivors question their
masculinity following a rape –
female survivors KNOW their
femaleness made them a target

28. Both Men and Women Experience…
• anger
• fear
• helplessness
• isolation and alienation
• loss and grief
• negative peer relations
• negative views of self
• problems with sexuality
• self-blame
• shame

29. Myth #5 - Boys Abused by Males Are
or Will Become Homosexual
• Sexual orientation is a complex issue – It is
widely believed that sexual assault has no
impact on sexual orientation
• Many boys abused by males erroneously believe that
something about them sexually attracts males
▫ They believe this may mean they are homosexual or
effeminate
• Not true!
• The pedophile's inability to develop and
maintain a healthy adult sexual relationship
is the problem – not the physical features of a
sexually immature boy

30. Myth #6 - Boys Who Are Sexually Abused
Go on to Sexually Abuse Others
• This myth can create a terrible stigma for the child,
that he is destined to become an offender
• Boys might be treated as potential
perpetrators rather than victims who need
help
• It is true that most perpetrators have histories of
sexual abuse
• BUT it is NOT true that most victims go on to
become perpetrators
• Those who do perpetrate in adolescence usually
don't perpetrate as adults if they get help when they
are young

31. Myth #7 - When the Perpetrator Is Female,
the Boy Should Feel Fortunate to Have Been
“Initiated” into Heterosexual Activity
• Premature or coerced sex (by a mother, aunt,
older sister, baby-sitter, teacher, or other female
in a position of power over a boy) causes
confusion at best, and rage, depression,
or other problems in more negative
circumstances
• To be used as a sexual object by a more
powerful person, male or female, is
always abusive and often damaging

32. These Myths Are Dangerous & Damaging
• As long as society believes and teaches these myths
to males from their earliest years…
▫ Sexually abused males will be unlikely to get the recognition and
help they need
▫ Sexually abused males will be more likely join the minority of survivors
who perpetuate this suffering by abusing others
▫ Sexually abused males will believe these myths, reinforcing another
devastating myth that all abused children struggle with: that it
was their fault
▫ Sexually abused males will feel ashamed and angry
▫ It is never the fault of the child in a sexual situation – even though
perpetrators can be quite skilled at getting their victims to believe these
myths and take on responsibility that is always and only their own

34. Questions or Comments?

35. More Men than Women Are Raped Each Year

36. According to the Dept. of Defense…
• In 2012:
▫ The majority of
sexual assault victims
were men — 53
percent in 2012
▫ An estimated 13,900
last year alone
▫ Only 13 percent of
reports last year were
filed by men

37. 2010 Numbers – 56% Male Victims
• About 19,000 men and women suffer
sexual assault each year in the military,
according to former Defense Secretary Leon
Panetta
• He noted that only about 3,200 assaults
were reported – about 17%
• About 10,700 of those cases - 56% - involved
male victims in 2010, based on anonymous
reporting collected by the military

38. The Real Number in 2010
• With 1,219,510 men
serving in 2010:
• If only 17 percent
of all male “rape”
victims reported,
this means, based
on the figure of
10,700 reported
victims…
• That 62,941
military men were
sexually assaulted
by other men in
2010

39. Perpetrators Are Perpetrators…
• Military data show:
▫ The typical perpetrator is a man
who has served longer in the
military than his victim
▫ The perpetrator holds a higher
rank
▫ In most cases, the assailant
identifies as heterosexual

40. Rape Is NOT about Sex
• Roger Canaff, who trains Army lawyers in
prosecuting sexual assault cases, says many attacks
amount to a particularly violent form of
hazing
• Rape “isn't necessarily seen as a sexual act,”
says Canaff, a former prosecutor in New York and
Virginia
• “It's seen as a humiliating act. It's the
ultimate act of emasculation”
• Men rape other men for exactly the same reasons
they rape women:
▫ To exercise power and control over the victim

41. Military Hazing and Humiliation
• Heath Phillips was seventeen when he entered the Navy (1988):
▫ His first night (on the ammunition ship USS Butte at Naval Weapons
Station Earle in NJ), a group of men say, “Hey, why don't you come hang
out with us?” And I thought, “Cool.” He went with them to a hotel in NYC
▫ Phillips had 2 drinks — “I really wasn't much of a drinker” — he passed
out
▫ “I woke up with my clothes pulled down, guys doing stuff to
me, guys masturbating on my face. Instant terror.”
▫ Crying, he locked himself in the bathroom. His shipmates said they were
only kidding, it was an initiation, they all went through it.
▫ After returning to the Butte, he told a senior leader what had
happened — and was told he was lying.
▫ “It was constant harassment. These guys would terrorize me daily,”
including pulling him out of bed and rubbing their genitals in his face.
“And I was always called liar.”

42. Men Need to Report Sexual Abuse – Commanders MUST Listen

43. Ordered to Stay Quiet
• Brian Lewis, the son of a Defense Department civilian, sailed through
three years in the Navy and three months aboard the submarine
tender USS Frank Cable
• On shore in Guam, he was invited to dinner by a higher-ranking shipmate
(who had a wife and children) - After dinner, he says, his dinner partner
pulled out a knife, threatened his life, and sodomized him
• A friend reported the attack, and Lewis was visited by a senior officer on the
Cable
• He says the officer ordered him not to cooperate with Navy
investigators
• Lewis says he did as he was told. The investigation stopped dead. There
was no court-martial. His attacker was never punished.
• There’s more to the story . . . .

44. When Men Report Sexual Assault
• A Baltimore Sun investigation found that when men
do report a sexual assault, military authorities are:
▫ Less likely to identify a suspect
▫ Less likely to refer charges to court-martial
▫ Less likely to discharge the perpetrator than in
cases in which the victim is a woman
• Critics blame those differences on a military
culture they say has been slow to recognize
the possibility that men can be raped — and
remains hostile to the victims
• Nancy J. Parrish (president of Protect Our
Defenders):
▫ “Male victims face more obstacles, more
prejudice against them, more disbelief, more
efforts to silence and humiliate them.”

45. Changing the Atmosphere
• Creating conditions where victims feel
confident reporting assaults is key to punishing
more perpetrators
• Getting male victims to cooperate with investigators
presents a particular challenge
• “You have an environment that values
strength and values the warrior ethos,” says
Nate Galbreath, the top civilian adviser to the
Pentagon's Sexual Assault Prevention and Response
Office
• “What we're trying to get across to men is that
warriors not only know how to fight, they
also know how to ask for help”

46. Man Up, Soldier
• Victims of both genders confront several barriers to reporting:
(1) embarrassment or shame
(2) skepticism about whether their attackers will be
punished
(3) concern about the impact on their own careers
• Terri Spahr Nelson, author of “For Love of Country:
Confronting Rape and Sexual Harassment in the U.S.
Military,” says male victims face an additional obstacle:
gender expectations in a culture that celebrates the
strong, stoic warrior
• “It's definitely different for men,” says Nelson (social worker,
sometime Pentagon consultant, and served in the Army in the
1980s)
• “For men coming forward in the military and being able to
report a sexual assault, they're really having to cross that
pretty heavy barrier of not being seen as weak — or
even, in some cases, being accused of being
homosexual.”

47. Is the Atmosphere Changing?
• Nate Galbreath (the top civilian adviser to the
Pentagon's Sexual Assault Prevention and Response
Office) says the Pentagon's efforts have led to an
increase in reports
• More than 3,550 sexual assaults were
reported during the first three quarters of
the 2013 fiscal year, the Pentagon reported, a
nearly 50% increase (only 2935 were
reported in all of 2012)
• Galbreath expects further gains from the special
victims' counsel program

48. Do You Want Real Change?
• Baltimore attorney Susan Burke represents dozens of
sexual assault victims in actions against the military:
▫ “Until you create an impartial judicial system, you continue
to empower the wrong people. The biases and corruption
persist.”
• Burke wants Congress to take prosecutions out of
the chain of command — where a commander has the
sole authority to refer charges to court-martial or not,
and to uphold the jury's findings or ignore them.
• “The system is rigged in favor of the assailant,”
says Rep. Jackie Speier, a California Democrat.
• “So much so that you have the vast majority, a
supermajority of the victims not reporting it,
which means the assailants, sexual predators,
continue to operate on other people.”

49. Where Do You Stand?
• If you suffered a sexual
assault, would you
want your commanding
officers to decide guilt
or innocence?
• Would you want JAG
lawyers to make that
decision?
• Would you prefer local
law enforcement to be
involved, with a civil
trial?

50. Trent Smith, U.S. Air Force

51. Air Force Security Guard Trent Smith
• June, 2012, Ramstein AFB: While at an off-
base apartment, a male sergeant touched him
and pressed him to go into the bedroom for sex
• "I said, 'No, I don't want to spend the night,'"
Smith recalled.
• But Smith, 20, says he felt he had no choice.
"I went along with it."
• Smith reported the encounter up the chain of
command three days later
• It began an emotional ordeal for him lasting
more than a year

52. Military Seeks a Discharge…
• October 2012: Air Force psychologist Capt.
Andrea Graves recommended Smith’s discharge
from the service
• She said a personality disorder made his traumatic
stress untreatable
• "His condition is so severe it is not conducive with
continued military service," the psychologist
reported
• Her supervisors at the base mental health clinic
wrote a May 2013 memo, calling him "depressive,"
"passive-aggressive" and "odd, peculiar,
paranoid and extremely guarded."

53. Pathologizing the Survivor
• Many soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder
(PTSD) remain on active duty if their condition can
be treated with counseling or medication
▫ Smith was different, his doctors said, because the
personality disorder they found meant his PTSD
could not be treated [clinically, this is not true]
• Smith disputes the diagnosis, and two
psychiatrists hired by his lawyers say he does not
have a personality disorder.
▫ Smith contends the Air Force is forcing him out
despite exemplary fitness reports from his superiors at
the Travis chapel (he was transferred in Oct 2012)
• The military deals with female victims by claiming
they have Borderline Personality Disorder

54. The Verdict of the Investigation…
• After a six-month criminal
investigation, Brig. Gen.
Charles K. Hyde, then
commander of the 86th
Airlift Wing at Ramstein,
decided the sex was
consensual, according to
case records
• The sergeant was
admonished for an
"unprofessional
relationship" with a lower-
ranking airman, the lightest
punishment possible

55. The Other Side of the Story…
• Smith grew up in Tigard, Ore., just outside of
Portland—he was sexually abused at age 12
by a male teenager, he says
• Still, Smith got good grades in high school,
played jazz trumpet and made the basketball and
track squads
• He enlisted in the Air Force after graduation in
2011
• He was sent to Ramstein in March 2012 and
assigned to a police unit that patrolled an Air
Force apartment complex outside the base

56. “I Froze and Went Along”
• June, 2012 - The staff sergeant, who was Smith's
"unit sponsor," a noncommissioned officer who
helps ease new arrivals into their assignments,
invited him to dinner – that was the night of the
alleged assault
• Smith's abuse as a child left him fearful that night,
he said
• It "was the reason I froze and went along"
• Dec. 4, 2013 – Three Air Force doctors agreed at a
two-hour hearing at Randolph Air Force Base in San
Antonio that Smith should be given a medical
discharge
• Smith is appealing his discharge

57. Diagnosing a Personality Disorder Is a
Pattern in the Military
• After enlisting in the Navy in 1997, Brian Lewis was
raped by a superior officer during his first tour aboard a
sub [his story appeared above]
• "I was ordered by my command not to report this
crime"
• Then, he said, "I was misdiagnosed with a
personality disorder" and was discharged with a
general discharge (a less-than-honorable
designation), meaning he could not receive tuition
aid and other G.I. benefits
• Diagnosis of personality disorders will remain on his
record for the rest of his life
• Personality disorders are [wrongly] thought to
be incurable

58. Personality Disorders, Continued
• "The military has shoved many survivors out the
back door with inaccurate, misleading, and very
harmful, almost weaponized, medical diagnoses like
personality disorders that affect their benefits
and future employment opportunities," Lewis said.
• [Former Army Specialist] BriGette McCoy also said
many victims are let go with "less than honorable
discharges and personality disorders on their
records, further hindering them from applying for
medical treatment and medical claims."

59. Questions Or Comments?

60. Hypermasculinity and the Culture of Rape

61. Gender Theory 101
• Gender is constructed and learned
• Sex is biological
• Researchers generally understand gender as a
spectrum (Butler 1986 and 1990/1999)
• The categories of man and woman have within
them immense variation:
▫ Effeminate boys and sensitive men are still boys
and men
▫ Masculine girls and aggressive women are still
women

62. The Spectrum Is Variable
• The gender spectrum for men can range from masculine
(stereotypically male) to feminine (transsexual, gender
queer) with variations of androgyny in the middle
• At the far end, masculinity can become “trans” or
“hyper” masculinity

63. Hypermasculinity Rejects the Spectrum
• If gender is a spectrum,
hypermasculinity rejects
that spectrum
• For a hypermasculine
man, only
hypermasculinity is
“true” masculinity
• All other expressions of
masculinity are “girly,”
“wussy,” “pussies,” or
“faggots,” “queers,”
“homos”
This “girly man,” Erik James
Horvat-Markovic (“Mystery”) is a
Pick Up Artist (PUA) – his views
are hypermasculine, even if his
appearance is not

64. Let’s Step Back: Defining Manhood
What, Exactly, Is Hypermasculinity?

65. Four Traditional Rules of American Manhood
• Gender studies professor, Michael Kimmel argues there
are four “Traditional Rules of American
Manhood”
1. Anti-femininity: Males must avoid behaviors, interests, and
traits considered “feminine.”
Among these are expression of feeling, emotional vulnerability,
sexual feelings for men, and feminine profession (e.g.,
elementary schoolteacher, nurse, secretary).
2. Status and Achievement: Men gain status by being successful
in all that they do, especially sports and work. Powerful men earn
the respect and admiration of others.
3. Inexpressiveness and Independence: Men are expected to
maintain emotional composure and self-control, to solve
problems without help, to keep their feelings to themselves,
and to disdain any display of weakness.
4. Adventurousness and Aggressiveness: Masculinity is
characterized by a willingness to take physical risks and become
violent if necessary.

66. What Do You Think?
• Do you agree with Kimmel?
• Is being a man defined by these qualities?
▫ anti-femininity
▫ power and success
▫ independence and stoicism
▫ risk-taking and violence
• Are there other qualities that make a
man?

67. Hypermasculinity, Defined
• Hypermasculinity is a
psychological term for the
exaggeration of male
stereotypical behavior,
such as an emphasis on
physical strength,
aggression, and
sexuality.
• This term can be
pejorative
• It is also used when simply
examining behavior (as
adaptive or maladaptive)

68. Hypermasculine Beliefs
• Hypermasculinity is
comprised of four inter-
related beliefs:
▫ Toughness as
emotional self-control
▫ Violence as manly
▫ Danger as exciting
▫ Calloused attitudes
toward women and sex
 (Zaitchik & Mosher 1993)

69. Research on Hypermasculinity
• Mosher and Sirkin (1984) have defined
hypermasculinity or the "macho personality" as
consisting of three variables:
▫ a) callous sexual attitudes toward women
▫ b) the belief that violence is manly
▫ c) the experience of danger as exciting
 They did not include “toughness as emotional control”
• They developed the Hypermasculinity Inventory
(HMI) designed to measure the three components.
• Research finds that hypermasculinity is associated
with sexual and physical aggression
▫ Prisoners have higher hypermasculinity scores
than control groups, possibly explaining the
prevalence of prison rape

70. War Is Necessarily Hypermasculine
• Barbara Ehrenreich: "Men make wars for many
reasons, but one of the most recurring ones is to
establish that they are, in fact, 'real men.' Warfare
and aggressive masculinity have been, in other
words, mutually reinforcing cultural enterprises”
• Aggression and violence are integral to
warfare, and they are also indicators of
hypermasculinity
• Like the bully, hypermasculinity attempts to punish
those who threaten the pseudo-sense of
invulnerability fostered by an aggressive masculinity
• Still, hypermasculinity is not an essential
feature of manhood

71. War Is Necessarily Anti-Feminine
• Hypermasculinity fears vulnerability and
rejects empathy and compassion
• Hypermasculinity projects a punitive
posture towards others
• Hypermasculinity is dismissive of any
supposed feminine attributes
▫ A soldier must be able to pull the trigger
▫ A soldier in battle cannot get emotional
▫ A soldier cannot feel empathy for those he
must shoot
▫ A soldier must risk his own life for his
squad

72. Military Structure & Hypermasculinity
• Socio-dominance (group-based dominance)
increases during military training (basic
training/military academies)
• In the military, men's gender roles become
more rigid and narrow
• Men are heavily scrutinized for any behavior that
might seem the slightest bit feminine
▫ therefore weak and unfit for military service
• Military socialization, such as bonding ceremonies,
creates group cohesion and interdependence
• Cohesion creates a sense of accountability within
its service members to uphold and maintain
these beliefs through self-policing, further
perpetuating hypermasculine attitudes

73. The Man Box and Male Socialization

74. Peer Group Socialization
• We grow up with layers of
messages all telling us what
it means to be masculine:
▫ It’s enforced on the
playground
▫ It’s enforced on teams
▫ It’s enforced when boys play
informally
▫ It’s often enforced within
families (fathers, brothers,
uncles)
▫ It’s often enforced by
coaches

75. Male-Only Peer Groups
• Bonding of men in male-only peer groups is
associated with hypermasculinity
▫ Expressions of extreme, exaggerated, or
stereotypical masculine behaviors and attributes
• Where do you see this most (besides the
military)?
▫ Sports teams
▫ Police and Fire Units
▫ Construction sites
▫ Oil fields

76. The Messages We Hear
▫ Be like them (pro athletes)
▫ Don’t cry
▫ Emotions are gay
▫ Don’t trust bitches (women)
▫ Support your family, always
▫ Bros before hoes
▫ Women are only good for one thing
▫ Vulnerability is a woman’s trait
▫ Sex is a sport
▫ Don’t be “gay”
▫ Don’t be “feminine”
• The corner of the box in which men are allowed to
exist is painted smaller and smaller; their identities
allowed less and less room.

77. Popular Culture Socialization
▫ Violence, strength,
toughness, and hyper-
masculinity are rewarded,
admirable characteristics
▫ We see it in the portrayal of
heroes in Hollywood:
Stallone, Schwarzenegger,
Chuck Norris, Steven Seagal,
Denzel Washington, Jason
Statham, and Liam Neeson
▫ Also seen in the value we
place on the highest-paid
men in the country:
professional athletes

78. The Man Box
• We confine men to a very limited “box” of options:

79. Crawling into the Man Box
• Growing up as boys, we were taught:
▫ men had to be tough, had to be strong, had to be
courageous, dominating
▫ no pain, no emotions, with the exception of
anger - and definitely no fear
▫ men are in charge, which means women are not
▫ men lead, and women should just follow and do
what we say
▫ men are superior; women are inferior
▫ men are strong; women are weak
▫ women are of less value, property of men, and
objects, particularly sexual objects

80. What If You Could Choose?
• We don’t give our boys a choice in how they are raised – we teach them
as we were taught (with some exceptions, of course)
▫ What if you had a choice?
▫ Would you accept a life that is 50-75% smaller so that you can fit
into the culturally sanctioned definition of manliness?
▫ Would you want that for your son?
▫ Would you want your daughter to date a man who grew up with those
limitations?

81. The Man Box Leads to Rape Culture
• Tony Porter is a co-founder of A Call to Men, and
works to end violence against women by
promoting healthier attitudes about
masculinity
• Porter and co-founder Ted Bunch have spread the
message of A Call to Men everywhere from the NFL
to West Point to the U.N.
• Porter once asked a 12-year-old football player how
he would feel if "in front of all the players, your
coach told you that you were playing like a girl."
• The boy responded, "It would destroy me."
• Porter was taken aback: "I said to myself, ‘God, if it
would destroy him to be called a girl, what
are we then teaching him about girls?’"

82. The (not so) Hidden Message
• In answer to Porter’s question, this is what we
are teaching boys about girls:
▫ Only women show emotions, which are bad, so
women are inferior
▫ Women cannot be in charge, they are meant to
follow, because they are inferior
▫ Women are weaker, so men have the right to take
advantage of them
• ANY MAN WHO PRESENTS AS
FEMININE IN ANY WAY DESERVES THE
SAME TREATMENT

83. Questions Or Comments?

84. Civilian and Military

85. Rape Culture
• Rape culture is a concept that links rape and
sexual violence to the culture of a society
• Rape culture supports prevalent attitudes that
normalize, excuse, tolerate, and even
condone rape
• Rape culture supports the domination and
objectification of women
• Rape culture is also closely related to slut-
shaming and victim blaming, where rape
victims are considered at fault for being raped

86. Rape Culture Says…

87. Rape Culture Is…
• When women who come forward are questioned
about what they were wearing
• When survivors who come forward are asked, “Were
you drinking?”
• When people say, “s/he was asking for it”
• When we teach women how to not get raped,
instead of teaching men not to rape
• When, in 31 states, rapists can legally sue for child
custody if the rape results in pregnancy
• When college campus advisers tasked with supporting
the student body, shame survivors who report their
rapes
• When colleges are more concerned with getting
sued by assailants than in supporting survivors
• When military rape victims who file charges are
discharged with supposed “personality disorders”

88. Rape Culture and Rape Myths
• Rape culture encourages gender violence and
perpetuates "rape myths“
▫ Rape is merely "rough sex“
▫ Victim is at fault for inviting rape
• Rape myths are social messages that predefine
gender roles concerning sexual behavior for
women
▫ If you weren’t wearing such a short skirt,
you would not have been raped
▫ If you weren’t going out drinking with
friends, you would not have been raped

89. Place Responsibility Where it Belongs
• In our society, we teach girls and women that
men cannot control their sexual impulses
• We teach girls and women that it is their
responsibility to prevent themselves from
being raped
• The implication for boys and men is that we
have no control over our sexual desires
• Consequently, we do not teach boys and
men NOT to rape
• ONLY We can end rape culture

90. Men Who Rape…
• Insensitive to others/emphasis on self
• Belittling behavior or attitudes towards others
• Employ negating behavior or comments
• Use Hostile and/or threatening language
• Are bullies
• Display excessive anger
• Tend toward brooding/revenge
• Can become obsessed
• Experience extreme mood swings
• Display physical tantrums
• Display jock or gorilla mentality
• Are mean drunks
• Prone to alcohol or drug abuse

91. Another Take on Men Who Rape…
Personality Characteristics:
▫ Various personality profiles of self-reported college
rapists have been reported and include the following:
 lack of empathy
 hostile masculinity
 macho/aggressive and dominant and
controlling personalities
 impulsivity
 emotional constriction
 underlying anger and power issues with
women
 (Berkowitz, 1992; Check et al., 1985; Lisak & Roth, 1990;
Mehrabian & Epstein, 1972; Rapaport and Burkhart, 1984).

92. Personality Characteristics
• In rapists, the Aggression, Impulsivity, and
Suicidality scores, as well as Novelty Seeking,
were significantly increased
• Scores on Reward Dependence, Self
Directedness, and Cooperativeness were
decreased
• Novelty seeking behavior, impulsiveness,
and lack of empathy were found to be common
characteristics in rapists
• Rapists' aggressiveness seems to be associated
with lack of personal intimacies
• Personality characteristics of sexual
offenders
 Giotakos, Vaidakis, Markianos, Christodoulou (2003)

93. Aggressiveness & Impulsivity
• Rape is the use
of sexuality to
express issues of
power and anger
• Men rape other
men for exactly the
same reasons they
rape women: to
exercise power
and control over
the victim

94. Why Men Rape Men
• ANY MAN WHO PRESENTS AS
FEMININE IN ANY WAY DESERVES
THE SAME TREATMENT
• This is a likely source of military male sexual
abuse and assault
• Men who do not fit perfectly into that tiny,
restrictive man box become targets

95. Military Sexual Trauma
• As we saw above, many sexual attacks amount to a
particularly violent form of hazing
• Rape is seen as a humiliating act. It's the
“ultimate act of emasculation”
• Brian Lewis, a Navy rape survivor we met earlier:
▫ “In a lot of areas of the military, men are still viewed
as having wanted it or of being homosexual.
That’s not correct at all. It’s a crime of power and
control.”
▫ “But also, you’re instantly viewed as a liar and a
troublemaker (when a man reports a sex crime),
and there’s the notion that you have abandoned your
shipmates, that you took a crap all over your
shipmates, that you misconstrued their horseplay.”

96. Again, Rape Is Not about Sex
• The criminal justice system (both civilian and
military) and society both see stranger rape
(the victim does not know the attacker) as “true”
rape, rather than acquaintance rape (rape
wherein the victim knows the attacker)
• If a man is raped by a fellow soldier (remember
that the rapist is generally older and of
higher rank), it tends to be dismissed as not
“real” rape

97. Only You Can Stop Military Rape

98. DoD Safe Helpline
• The DoD Safe Helpline is a crisis support
service for victims of sexual assault
• The helpline is available 24 hours a day via
web, phone, or text message
• The Safe Helpline is operated by the non-profit
Rape, Abuse, and Incest National
Network (RAINN) through a contractual
agreement with the department
• The helpline can be reached at 877-995-5247
or http://www.safehelpline.org

99. Call SACASA
• We have 24/7/365
crisis phone lines
• Male survivors are
welcome
• Insurance will never
know
• Commanding officer
will never know
• Fellow soldiers will
never know
Crisis Lines:
• 520-327-1721
• 800-400-1001
TTY/DD/SMS: 520-327-1721;
After Hours, 235-3358

100. SAFE Intervention Strategies
• When should you get involved? Whenever
someone could get hurt if the behavior
continues.
• BUT, bystander intervention only works if
you stay safe. These are suggested steps to
assess the situation.
1. Identify the problem
2. Decide if the situation could get more dangerous
3. Decide if you can say or do something without
becoming a target yourself
4. Choose your action (see the following list)

101. Bystander Options
• If you assess the situation may be dangerous to
you or the victim, call base security or 911
Otherwise:
• Take your friend home from the party if
he is too intoxicated or seems to be acting more
drugged than reasonable for his consumption
• Keep friends who are drunk or high from
going off on their own to secluded places
(outdoors, bedrooms, cars) with another
person(s)
• Intervene – see the following list...

102. Bystander Intervention Strategies
1. “I” statements
• Three parts:
▫ 1. State your feelings
▫ 2. Name the behavior
▫ 3. State how you want the person to respond
This focuses on your feelings rather than
criticizing the other person
2. Silent Stare
▫ Not all communication is verbal
▫ A disapproving look says far more than words.

103. Bystander Intervention Strategies
3. Humor
▫ Reduces the tension
▫ Funny doesn’t mean unimportant – do not
undermine your intervention
4. Group Intervention
▫ Safety and power in numbers (3 or more is best)
▫ Indicated when someone has a pattern of
inappropriate behavior
▫ Present examples of his behavior as evidence of a
problem

104. Bystander Intervention Strategies
5. Bring it Home – Make it Personal
▫ Prevents someone from distancing himself from
the impact of his actions.
▫ Prevents someone from dehumanizing his targets.
6. We’re friends, right….?
▫ Reframes the intervention as caring and non-
critical
 Example: “Hey Jim, as your friend I need to tell
you that getting a girl drunk to have sex with her
isn’t cool. Come on, let’s go downstairs so she can
sleep it off.”

105. Bystander Intervention Strategies
7. Distraction
▫ Most effective for street harassment
▫ Snaps someone out of their “sexist comfort zone”
 Example: Ask a man harassing a woman on the
street for directions or the time.
▫ Allows a potential target to move away and/or to
have other friends intervene
 Example: Spill your drink on the person or
interrupt and start a conversation with the person.
 These suggestions come from “Stop Abuse at Virginia Tech”

106. What Else Can Men Do?
• Believe someone who discloses a sexual
assault, abusive relationship, or experience with
stalking or cyber-stalking
• Be respectful of yourself and others – Make
sure any sexual act is OK with your
partner if you initiate
• Watch out for your friends:
▫ If you see someone who looks like they are in
trouble, ask if they are okay
▫ If you see a friend doing something shady to
another person, say something, call him on it

107. What Else Can Men Do?
• Speak up – if someone says something
offensive, derogatory, or abusive, let them know
that behavior is wrong and you don’t want to be
around it
▫ Don’t laugh at racist, sexist, homophobic
jokes
• Get involved – Become a peer educator,
volunteer as a crisis advocate, or volunteer to
chaperone a dance at your child’s school
• Ending sexual violence begins with us

108. Questions Or Comments?